My daddy lives at the lake house, near Nixie. I live with Mommy, but I get to see him every summer. I like my daddy, but he doesn't really understand about Nixie, which doesn't make any sense, because Nixie says that she used to play with him when he was a little boy I can't imagine my daddy as a little boy he's too big. Do I talk too much? Daddy says sometimes I don't breathe enough when I talk to people.

My father died when I was in high school. We were close, and I still miss him. He was the only one in my immediate family who really understood me. My mom tries, but if you don't "get" someone, there's not much you can really do. My brother doesn't even try at all.

I think my dad would've like the band I'm managing, Maelstrom. He was one of those "live and let live" types who thought being different was a good thing, and not something to be ashamed of.

I don't have a dad, and I don't want to talk about it. The closest thing I ever had to a dad was my grandfather, and that barbed bastard Nezbit... let's just leave it that I don't have a dad. Don't now, and never did, and I'm not asking anyone to be one. I spent my weekend hanging out, taking a few pitches at the batting cage, and pretending Hallmark wasn't trying to write something flowery all over my ass.

Even now, over six decades after losing him, I still miss my dad. He died in World War II, when I was about nine, and I've missed him every day since. He and I were extremely close - much to my mother's chagrin, in fact - and as with Ricky, my dad was the only one who really understood me. After he died, I felt like I had, too. The laughter seemed to have gone right out of my family - and things between me and my mother (and my sister, for that matter) got even worse.

My dad is a small, scrawny man with glasses perched on his nose when he reads but which are usually lost the rest of the time. This causes a fuss whenever the newspaper arrives. Dad is Mum's shadow. I think he's probably nice, and perhaps loves me in his own way. but Mum rules the roost and he's always on her side in an argument. Sometimes this made me mad when I was at home. Sometimes I hate him but usually I just feel sorry for him. When I was little I loved him and he told me stories. I miss that.

As for me, my father is still alive - and I still see him from time to time. He's a good-hearted man, but I can see why he and my mom split up. I'm just glad both of my parents are happy now. They sure weren't when I was a child.

Dad and I had some problems (mostly due to my stepmom) when I was younger, but we're closer than ever these days. In fact, my parental relationships have flip-flopped as I've gotten older. When I was little, my mom was my best friend - nowadays, Mom and I are somewhat awkward with each other, and Dad and I are the close ones. No wonder most of my characters have tight bonds with their dads.

As for my own dad, Father's Day was hard this year. He lost his father just last week - found him, in fact, just after buying a Father's Day card. I feel so bad for him... but what can you do? Death is an inevitable part of living - and it rarely happens at a convenient time.